Condenser supports



Feb. 21, 1956 P. B. TARBOX CONDENSER SUPPORTS Filed June 29, 1954 [FIG 4 United States Patent CONDENSER SUPPORTS Philip B. Tarbox, Saco, Maine, assignor to Saco-Lowell Shops, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application June 29, 1954, Serial No. 439,959

4 Claims. (Cl. 19-131) This invention relates to textile fiber drafting mechanisms and more particularly to a novel supporting means for the sliver condensers used in such mechanisms.

Drafting mechanisms are designed to reduce the crosssectional dimensions of sliver or rovings and present them in an attenuated form better adapted for spinning, to straighten the fibers, and to draw them into a more nearly parallel relationship to each other which is desirable in order to produce yarn of maximum strength from a given staple. Since a series of these drawing operations is necessary in order to work the sliver or roving into a suitable form for the final spinning, it is evident that a long draft is of advantage in a single machine in order to produce these results with as few operations and as little handling of the fibers as possible for the sake of economy. Accordingly, drafting mechanisms having fiber control devices of the apron type have become much used in the industry because of their high draft characteristics.

However, as a sliver or roving is attenuated in passing through the fiber control devices, such devices including the aprons and the like which control the drawing operation in the region just behind the front or delivery rolls of a drafting mechanism, those fibers at the edges of the flat, ribbon-like strip produced by such attenuation are not held with the same degree of firmness as are those fibers between the margins of the strip. Consequently, these edge fibers tend to get out of control, particularly as the roving or sliver passes from the surface of the apron to the delivery rolls as the apron moves over the edge of its apron bar.

It has been found that these difficulties are reduced and satisfactory drafting is facilitated by confining the edges of the fiber strip just before it passes into the nip of the delivery rolls, thus tending to move the fibers at the extreme edges of the sliver or roving back into the main body of fibers, the devices heretofore used for such purpose consisting of a sliver condenser in the form of a funnel which rested on the bottom delivery roll, and was freely movable in a direction along the axis of the delivery roll when acted upon by sliver passing therethrough as such sliver was traversed back and forth in the usual manner by mechanically operated rear condensing trumpets. Such sliver condensers were usually connected together with a tie bar in pairs corresponding to two adjacent drawing mechanisms, the tie bar usually being slideably supported in a member which rested upon the intermediate roll portion extending between adjacent sections of the bottom delivery rolls.

Such sliver condenser supporting mechanism has been a source of trouble in the art, however, since not only did it tend to pick up lint and fly to the extent of preventing the essential free back and forth traverse of the tie bar and the sliver condensers, but also the condensers tended to fall out onto the mill floor whenever the delivery rolls were opened. Thus, largely because of these difficulties, sliver condensers have not come into as Wide use as would be expected from their known fiber control advantages.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sliver condenser support in an apron type of drafting mechanism which condenser support not only allows normal movement of the tie bar with sliver co'n-' densers mounted thereon in. a direction parallel to the axis of the delivery rolls, but which positively prevents any substantial forward movement of the sliver condensers upon opening of the delivery rolls.

It is a particular feature of the sliver condenser support of the invention that lint and fly cannot prevent the essential free back and forth traverse of the sliver condensers, since no sliding surfaces are present between the tie bar and its support, which sliding surfaces tend to become jammed with lint and fly as with the heretofore known mechanisms.

Further objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, together with the accompany- .ing drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an isometric view, partially broken away, of a long lower apron type of drafting mechanism embodying the invention; t

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional elevational view of the sliver condenser support mechanism of the invention as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the sliver condenser support mechanismof the invention taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the sliver condenser support mechanism of the invention taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the drafting mechanism embodying the invention includes a pair of delivery rolls 2 and 4 at its front end with a fiber control mechanism behind said front rolls, such latter mechanism including an endless looped sliver supporting apron 6 and, within the loop of the apron, apron bar 10, and an apron tensioning roll (not shown). The apron bar 10, by which term I include that portion of the forward apron guiding means extending between pairs of adjacent delivery rolls and guiding either upper or lower aprons, is preferably of generally inverted L- shaped cross-sectional configuration providing an upper web surface of substantial area. The apron 6 is further provided with an overlying apron roll 12 to cooperate with said apron to control fibers of a sliver passing between said rolls 8 and 12. The lower delivery roll 2 and the apron supporting roll 8 are driven in the usual manner, and the upper delivery roll 4 and overlying apron roll 12 are supported and weighted by any suitable means to cooperate with said lower rolls 2 and 8 to draft a sliver passing therethrough.

According to the present invention, a pair of sliver condensers 14 in the form of funnels open at their top sides are provided at adjacent delivery rolls between apron bar 10 and the nip of delivery rolls 2 and 4, such condensers normally resting on the surfaces of lower delivery rolls 2 and being preferably rigidly connected by a tie bar 16 so that they cannot move relatively to one another. In order to support said tie bar 16 with said condensers 14 in operative position just behind the delivery rolls and to allow normal back and forth traverse movement of said condensers in a direction parallel to the axis of the delivery rolls, while at the same time preventing substantial forward movement of the condensers upon opening the delivery rolls, I provide a flexible connecting member 18 extending slaekly between tie bar 16 and apron bar 10. The member 18 preferably is constructed of molded rubber or similar distortable flexible material having an enlarged front end providing a finger grip, such front end Patented Feb. 21, 1956" an apron supporting roll 8, an

having therein a hole 20 which is snapped into the groove of an. upstanding grooved stud 22 mounted. in. fixed position centrally of tie bar 16. The rear end of connecting member 18 is provided with an integral downwardly extending lug 24 adapted to snap'into a slot 26 in the upper web of apron bar 10. The central section of connecting member IS, inorder to providethe requisite flexibility and extensibilityfor slackly conect-ing tie bar 16 to apron bar 10, is of generally wavedconfiguration sothat it: isreadily distorted to allow free hack and forth traverse movement of the sliver condensers 1'4 as well as to allow limited front and rear movement thereof.

Thus, in. operation, the condensers 14 are maintained in their operative position just behind the nip of delivery rolls 2. and 4 by the sliver passing therethrough, and are together slowly traversed back and forth by the sliver itself as iss'o moved by the conventional rear condensing trumpets (not shown). The connecting member 18, although fixedly attached both to the tie bar 16 and apron bar. 10; by means of its flexible and extensible central section slackly connecting its ends, permits free normal movement of said condensers. Furthermore, since the condenser supporting structure including. connecting member 18 and tie bar 16 is free from relatively moving. surfaces which tcnd to collect lint and fly and prevent theessential free traversing movement of condensers 14, the danger of spoiling yarn by failure of the condensers freely and easily to traverse is entirely eliminated.

Ifit is desired toopen the rolls. by moving. upwardly the top delivery roll 4 (shown in upwardly displaced position as at 4 in Fig. 2) and the overlying apron roll 12 away from lower delivery roll 2. and apron supporting roll 8,. respectively, as to remove a roller lap, such may readily be done without substantial forward movement of the condensers 14, since the connecting member 18 will maintain them substantially intheir normal operating position. Hence, the lap may be readily removed and the rolls closed again without any necessity of adjusting the position of the condensers 14.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a novel condenser support, which, while simple and economical, provides greatly improved operation over heretofore known structures. Various modifications of my invention within the spirit thereof and the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in this art, for example, although I: have described the flexible connecting member 18 as made of molded rubber, it is intended that such expression shall include any suitable rubbery or distortable material (natural or synthetic) and whether or not actually molded in the formation thereof.

I claim:

1. A drafting mechanism comprising a pair of delivery rolls at the forward end, afiber' control mechanism mountcd rearwardly thereof, said control mechanism including an endless looped apron and an apron bar within the loop of said apron in contact with said apron near said delivery rolls, a pair of sliver condensers connected together with a tie bar, said condensers being normally maintained in operative position" by said delivery rollsand adapted to be moved in a direction parallel to the axis of said delivery rolls by sliver passing therethrough, and flexible supporting means extending slackly between said tie bar and said apron bar, and having its ends fixedly attached tosaid tie bar and said apron bar respectively, to allownormal movement of said tie bar in a directionparallel to the axis of said delivery rolls and prevent substantial forward movement thereof upon opening of said delivery rolls.

2. A drafting mechanism as claimed in claim I, in

which. said. flexible supporting means'is of'moldedi rubber having a central; portion of waved configuration.

ReferencesCited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,870,095 Casablancas Aug. 2,. 1932 1,992,121 Casablancas Feb. 19-, 1935 2,430,6Il Gwaltney et al Nov. 11, 1947 2,633,607 Newbegin et. al. Apr. 7, 1953 2,671,857 Solanas May I1, 1954 2,683,290 Noguera July 13, I954 

